Reservation Road

Ever felt like running on city streets at night or experienced the stillness of a sunrise on a beach. Reservation Road is a movie that makes you feel these feelings, its quiet, its simple and ever so tacit. It leaves you with an aftertaste that is slight but still grabs some part of your conscience.

The movie boasts of a cast studded with "performer's", Jennifer Connelly(A beautiful mind), Mark Ruffalo (Just Like Heaven), Joaquin Phoenix(Walk the line), so what you get is a connoisseur delight. A father who has just lost a son in a "hit and run", a person living with the guilt of taking an innocent life, a wife trying to comfort a husband. It's no brain wracker but a movie which is as subtle as they come.

The story is not as predictable as you expect and takes a turn which puts the characters in very interesting situation. Though a bit slow the movie manages to keep you interested while you savor the performances by the actors. There is no 'Thrill' or 'Action' but there is 'Drama' and lots of it.

Jennifer Connelly though underused, is flawless and gives a performance full emotion and unstated sadness. Joaquin Phoenix is the grieved father whose life has come to a screeching halt and all he thinks about is "how to get justice". Mark Ruffalo impresses as a person plagued with the guilt of a convict.

The movie sure is not a 'Prime time' and wont be appreciated by the 'popcorn crowd', it is but a reflection of how 'We' humans are, how we grieve, how we all feel the guilt, and how we all still do have a conscience. Watch it for the flawless acting, for a quiet one and a half hour, and if you appreciate a real life story told in a real life perspective.

Rating:
7/10